LESSON 1.

1:
INTRODUCTION TO
CONIC SECTIONS
AND CIRCLES
 LESSON 1.1.1:
AN OVERVIEW OF CONIC
SECTIONS
Apollonius of Perga
He studied the curves formed
by the intersection of a plane
and a double right circular
cone (conic section). The cone
was thought of as having two
parts that extended infinitely
in both directions. A line lying
entirely on the cone is
referred to as a generator of
the cone. All generators of a
cone pass through the
intersection of the two parts
called the vertex.
Three types of conics:
1. If the cutting of the plane
is not parallel to any
generator, the curve is an
ellipse. If the cutting of the
plane is not parallel to any
generator but it is
perpendicular to the axis, the
ellipse becomes a circle.
(Figure 1.1)
2. If the cutting plane is
parallel to one and only one
generator, the curve is a
parabola. (Figure 1.2)
3. If the cutting of the plane
is parallel to two generators,
the curve is a hyperbola.
(Figure 1.3)
Degenerate Conics
The point (Figure 1.4), line
(Figure 1.5), and the two
intersecting lines (Figure
1.6), are obviously not
conic sections but are also
possible results of the
intersection of the plane
and the double right
circular cone.
Definition of Conic
A conic is a set of
points whose distances
from a fixed point are
in constant ratio to
their distances from a
fixed line that is not
passing through the
fixed point.
1. focus (F) – the fixed point
of the conic
2. directrix (d) – the fixed line
d corresponding to the focus
3. principal axis (a) – the line
that passes through the focus
perpendicular to the directrix.
Every conic is symmetric with
respect to its principal axis
4. vertex (V) – the point of
intersection of the conic and
its principal axis
5. eccentricity (e) – the
constant ratio
NOTE:
If e = 1, (parabola)
If e < 1, (ellipse)
If e > 1, (hyperbola)
 LESSON 1.1.2:
DEFINITION AND EQUATION OF
A CIRCLE
A circle may also be considered
a special kind of ellipse. A circle
is a set of all coplanar points
 such that the distance from a
fixed point is constant. The
fixed point is called the center
of the circle and the constant
distance from the center is
called the radius of the circle.
(Refer to Figure 1.7 and Figure 1.8)
The standard equation
of the circle with center
C ( h, k ) and radius r is:
2 2 2
(x – h) + (y – k) = r
If the center is the origin,
then h = 0 and k = 0. The
standard equation is
then:
2 2 2
x +y =r
 Illustrative Example:
In each item, give the standard
equation of the circle
satisfying the given conditions:
1. center at the origin, radius 4
2. center ( -4, 3 ), radius √𝟕
3. circle in Figure 1.7
4. circle A in Figure 1.9
5. circle B in Figure 1.9
6. center ( 5, 6 ) tangent to y-
axis
7. center ( 5, -6 ) tangent to x –
axis
 8. It has a diameter with
endpoints A ( -1, 4 ) and
B ( 4, 2)
PROBLEM SET NO. 1:
1. Center at the origin, radius
√𝟏𝟐
2. center ( 8, -9 ), tangent to
the y-axis
3. It has a diameter with
endpoints A ( -3, 4 ) and
B ( 9, 6 )
 LESSON 1.1.3:
MORE PROPERTIES OF CIRCLES
Expand the standard equation:
𝟑 2 2 𝟐𝟗
(x– ) +(y–3) =
𝟐 𝟒
If the equation of the circle is
given in the general form:
 2 2
Ax + Ay + Cx + Dy + E = 0
or
2 2
x + y + Cx + Dy + E = 0
we can determine the
standard form by completing
the square in both variables.
 Illustrative Example:
Identify the center and the
radius of the circle with the
given equation in each item.
Sketch the graph, and indicate
the center.
 2 2
1. x + y – 6x = 7
2 2
2. x + y – 14x + 2y = – 14
2 2
3. 16x + 16y + 96x – 40y = 315
PROBLEM SET NO. 2:
2 2
1. x + y – 5x + 4y = 46
2 2
2. 4x + 4y + 40x – 32y = 5
 LESSON 1.1.4:
SITUATIONAL PROBLEMS
INVOLVING CIRCLES
Problem 1: A street with two
lanes, each 10 feet wide, goes
through a semicircular tunnel
with radius 12 feet. How high
is the tunnel at the edge of
each lane? Round-off to 2
decimal places.
Problem 2: A piece of broken
plate was dug up in an
archaeological site. It was put
on top of a grid, as shown in
Figure 1.16, with the arc of
the plate passing through the
A ( -7, 0 ), B ( 1, 4 ), C ( 7, 2 ).
Find the center, and the
standard equation of the
circle describing the
boundary of the plate.
PROBLEM SET NO. 3:
1.) A single-lane street goes
through a semicircle tunnel
10 feet wide and has a radius
9 feet. How high is the tunnel
at the edge of each lane?
Round-off to 2 decimal places.
2.) An archaeologist found
the remains of an ancient
wheel, which she then placed
on a grid. If an arc of the
wheel passes through
A ( -7, 0), B ( -3, 4 ), C ( 7, 0),
locate the center of the
wheel, and the standard
equation of the circle
defining its boundary.